by Public Information Officer, Thursday, May 22, 2014, 09:09 (1642 days ago)edited by Public Information Officer, Friday, May 23, 2014, 14:42

ABILENE, TX - The Abilene Police Department and the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office are jointly applying for the Fiscal Year 2014 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program: Local Solicitation. The grant is for $40,774 which the Police Department and Sheriff’s Office would share equally if awarded the funding.

In the grant application, the Police Department is seeking the following:

The Abilene Police Department's firearms training target system is in serious disrepair. It is severely antiquated and under constant need of maintenance. Parts for the current target system are obsolete due to the age of the system. The Abilene Police Department's firing range was constructed in the 1960's as a regional asset to law enforcement agencies for firearms training. The target system has not been updated since inception. In 2013, the Abilene Police Department firing range was used 174 times by 24 different law enforcement agencies. Funding for this project will allow for all participating agencies to advance their training and reduce their liability in use of force situations involving firearms.

The goal of this project is to replace the current target system at the Abilene Police Department’s firing range. By replacing the current target system with a modern system with movement capabilities, realistic firearms training will be possible. The majority of firearms encounters in law enforcement involve movement and stress. The purchase and implementation of the system will provide improved training in both stress and movement scenarios.

Citizens may provide input about the grant application by sending comments to: